Well, I thought mid life crisis cars were always red. I really don't feel like I'm having a midlife crisis. Actually I have had so many crisis, from near death experiences, getting hit by lightening and PTSS (Post Tramatic Stress Syndrome) I guess this one is minor.
But I LOVE my Chrsler Sebring Convertible. I've gotten so many compliments at drive thru windows, Walgreens, Burger King and Dunkin Donuts. As well as people on the street. My cowboy hat and dashboard Hula-girl just complement the deal.
Wait until I get my vanity plate, CBRING, it'll seal the deal.
As for TV babes I don'yt know what it is but they're so damn alluring. Take for instance Annie Little. Never heard of her? I'll bet you've seen her. On the Amazon Kindle commercials. She sings "Take me away, my love." The song on the commercial, you know the one where they use stop motion, and dress her as an aviator among other costumes. She's hot! Mybe it's because they never give you enough of her. What I mean is they leave wanting to see more of her.
Well I guess that's not so for "Flo" the Progressive commercial woman. She's so damned cut and her voice is so sweet. And you can tell she has a great sense of humor. How about Alexandra Steele on the Weather Channel. Weather babe to the max! She even has a name like a porn star. I sensed a lot of competition between her and Heather Tesh. They have since separated the two.
Megan Kelly on FOX News channel. Major Babe! Most of the woman on that channel have the best legs and give you a glimpse or two.
Maybe it's that inside I know they're unobtainable. I seem to want the unreachable more than what's right in front of me.
Well, maybe someday I can find a hot weather babe who can forecast the great days for us to go for a ride to get clam cakes. Until then I'll keep watching the Weather Channel and Fox news.
Monday, September 6, 2010
Saturday, September 4, 2010
Clam Cake Nirvana: Update
This clam cake research is harder than I thought. After about 6 samplings I realized that it's nearly impossible to declare one clam cake the best of all rest. Each clam cake recipe has is unique and has points all it's own. Evelyn's Nanaquaket Pond Drive Inwas given a second chance and I found it to be better the second time around. For $4 I got 4 cakes and a bowl of chowder. It was a thin chowder, the Rhode Island type. Not New England, the creamy type nor the sacrilegious red New York chowder. OK, some NY chowders are good but I like the other 2 types better.
Evelyn's $4 combo is great. I added a quahog and found it to be one of the best Quags I have ever had, really!
Flo's Drive In in nearby Portsmouth, RI has clam cakes with a style all their own. More fluffy and less clams but still very good.
The Country Whip in Acushnet has a tasty clam cake too. I ordered a quahog there and was surprised to get it in a round plastic container like Chinese take out sauces come in. Not bad either.
The Cool Cone in Wareham, MA has a good recipe too along with their quahog, even though they weren't tops on the list they are worth a visit.
Gene's Seafood in Fairhaven has a style more like Flo's and are good if they haven't been sitting under the heat lamp.
The Seafood Hut in Acushnet is near the top and is the closest to home.
Down the Hatch's clam cakes are good but a bit pricey at double the average cost.
Hugo's in Freetown, MA was the top in the early stages of this sampling and I may have to go back and re-evaluate the cakes ;)
Well I think that's all my reviews. Sorry it isn't more detailed with prices and menu lists. But the point of this have proven that clam cakes are a great road food and most of the places I sampled were worth the drive, if not just for the scenery. If you have a favorite place that I have missed give me a shout!
Evelyn's $4 combo is great. I added a quahog and found it to be one of the best Quags I have ever had, really!
Flo's Drive In in nearby Portsmouth, RI has clam cakes with a style all their own. More fluffy and less clams but still very good.
The Country Whip in Acushnet has a tasty clam cake too. I ordered a quahog there and was surprised to get it in a round plastic container like Chinese take out sauces come in. Not bad either.
The Cool Cone in Wareham, MA has a good recipe too along with their quahog, even though they weren't tops on the list they are worth a visit.
Gene's Seafood in Fairhaven has a style more like Flo's and are good if they haven't been sitting under the heat lamp.
The Seafood Hut in Acushnet is near the top and is the closest to home.
Down the Hatch's clam cakes are good but a bit pricey at double the average cost.
Hugo's in Freetown, MA was the top in the early stages of this sampling and I may have to go back and re-evaluate the cakes ;)
Well I think that's all my reviews. Sorry it isn't more detailed with prices and menu lists. But the point of this have proven that clam cakes are a great road food and most of the places I sampled were worth the drive, if not just for the scenery. If you have a favorite place that I have missed give me a shout!
Thursday, June 3, 2010
In Search of Clamcake Nirvava
I had an idea some time ago to find the best clam cakes in the area and keep a log of the bivalve biopsies.
In an instance of utter spontaneity I decided to start with 'The Sea Food Hut'. Located at 2 South Main street they are located right on the Fairhaven/Acushnet town line. This is the typical New England snack shack defined. You order from outside the window of the small building. The parking lot is best described as 'small'. About 6 parking spaces small but don't let theat deter you. The Sea Food Hut offers all manner of fries delicacies, clam cakes, fries, onion rings, fried clams, scallops and fish to name just a smidgen. I have had their fish and chips in the past which were lightly battered, not quite like the traditional English fish and chips which have a heavy batter. This day though I was on the hunt for clam cakes. More commonly known in other parts of the country as fritters clam cakes deserve to be in a class of there own.
I ordered only a half dozen, since I have tried to lose weight this year and have lost about 15 pounds over a little more than 2 months. This is a tough job, but somebody has to do it. These were cooked to order and of course there's a short wait until your number is called. I had a seat at one of the 2 picnic tables there and watch the traffic flow through the intersection of Main street and Alden road. When my order came up I helped myself to a couple of squirts from the bottle of vinegar on the counter and decide to head out Main street into the Acushnet back country since it was a beautiful top down day.
Their clam cakes were GOOD. Really good. Nicely cooked to a golden color and not greasy. I don't remember any pieces of clam in them but I didn't mind at all. In a short time, just a few miles, all 6 clam cakes were GONE. Clam cakes aren't like fries or onion rings, when the box is empty there aren't any that fell to the bottom of the bag. I still craved more cakes.
I kept driving through Acushnet into Rochester and then to Freetown when I suddenly remembered another tiny clam shack on (50) Middleboro road in that town. Hugo's is about the same size as Seafood Hut, maybe smaller. A dirt lot offers plenty of parking and has either a tiny grandstand or a seasonal plant display stand. I think it's for sports teams to pose for pictures while having ice cream. Neat idea. I ordered another half dozen cakes and sat and read their sizeable menu. In a couple of minutes the guy inside cooking told me he made a mistake and dropped a dozen in the fryer by mistake. Would I like the whole 12? Hell ya'! When they were done I offered him the extra $2 for the large order but he declined, so I left it in the tip cup.
I headed South on Middleboro road towards Sassaquin pond in the far north end of New Bedford. I took a look at my first cake from this batch and was surprised. The were a little darker then the previous batch from the Seafood Hut. Little bumps and ends were nicely browned and they reminded me of the Holy Grail of clam cakes. Mc Cray's. Though long gone several restaurants have offered 'Mc Cray's' style clam cakes and fried clams. I took a bite and indeed, they were about the closest to Mc Cray's cakes I have had. Even better than the former Mc Cray's II in Tiverton, RI. The middles were a little doughy, but that was fine with me. And clams! Each one had real clams. Real clams have real clam necks, so be forewarned, some bites can be chewy. These were a little saltier than the Acushnet batch but not overly so. My intention was to eat 6 cakes and bring the remaining 6 home. But they were so good I ate all 12. Yep, that was on top of the first 6, so I ate 18 clam cakes that day. I swear that Hugo's were so good I had no choice.
Today I found myself craving something fried and decided to try Evelyns Drive In in Little Compton, RI. Set on the Sakonnet river, not far from the Old Stone Bridge there is large dirt parking lot, plenty of picnic tables and an indoor dining room. A nice spot to sit awhile. I got my order quickly. So I assume they cook batches at a time and sit under the warmer, or I just had good timing. These were nice light inside and a little chewy, in a soft way. A very nice chewy. I didn't find any clams in them but these were not greasy and very good. The 6 were gone in a few minutes as I headed south on Main road, Route 77, an excellent scenic drive.
So...this is the tally, Hugo's is definitely number 1, The Seafood Hut is a close second and Evelyn's is a tight third. Even though I haven't tried Gen's Seafood's clam cakes in quite awhile I giving them a distant 4th. Some day I'll try one just to confirm my rating.
Flo's (Closed Hurricanes) on the beach in Portsmouth, RI will be tried next. They are a different class, more cakey.
So there you have it, the Great Clam Cake Search. If you have any suggestions drop me a line.
In an instance of utter spontaneity I decided to start with 'The Sea Food Hut'. Located at 2 South Main street they are located right on the Fairhaven/Acushnet town line. This is the typical New England snack shack defined. You order from outside the window of the small building. The parking lot is best described as 'small'. About 6 parking spaces small but don't let theat deter you. The Sea Food Hut offers all manner of fries delicacies, clam cakes, fries, onion rings, fried clams, scallops and fish to name just a smidgen. I have had their fish and chips in the past which were lightly battered, not quite like the traditional English fish and chips which have a heavy batter. This day though I was on the hunt for clam cakes. More commonly known in other parts of the country as fritters clam cakes deserve to be in a class of there own.
I ordered only a half dozen, since I have tried to lose weight this year and have lost about 15 pounds over a little more than 2 months. This is a tough job, but somebody has to do it. These were cooked to order and of course there's a short wait until your number is called. I had a seat at one of the 2 picnic tables there and watch the traffic flow through the intersection of Main street and Alden road. When my order came up I helped myself to a couple of squirts from the bottle of vinegar on the counter and decide to head out Main street into the Acushnet back country since it was a beautiful top down day.
Their clam cakes were GOOD. Really good. Nicely cooked to a golden color and not greasy. I don't remember any pieces of clam in them but I didn't mind at all. In a short time, just a few miles, all 6 clam cakes were GONE. Clam cakes aren't like fries or onion rings, when the box is empty there aren't any that fell to the bottom of the bag. I still craved more cakes.
I kept driving through Acushnet into Rochester and then to Freetown when I suddenly remembered another tiny clam shack on (50) Middleboro road in that town. Hugo's is about the same size as Seafood Hut, maybe smaller. A dirt lot offers plenty of parking and has either a tiny grandstand or a seasonal plant display stand. I think it's for sports teams to pose for pictures while having ice cream. Neat idea. I ordered another half dozen cakes and sat and read their sizeable menu. In a couple of minutes the guy inside cooking told me he made a mistake and dropped a dozen in the fryer by mistake. Would I like the whole 12? Hell ya'! When they were done I offered him the extra $2 for the large order but he declined, so I left it in the tip cup.
I headed South on Middleboro road towards Sassaquin pond in the far north end of New Bedford. I took a look at my first cake from this batch and was surprised. The were a little darker then the previous batch from the Seafood Hut. Little bumps and ends were nicely browned and they reminded me of the Holy Grail of clam cakes. Mc Cray's. Though long gone several restaurants have offered 'Mc Cray's' style clam cakes and fried clams. I took a bite and indeed, they were about the closest to Mc Cray's cakes I have had. Even better than the former Mc Cray's II in Tiverton, RI. The middles were a little doughy, but that was fine with me. And clams! Each one had real clams. Real clams have real clam necks, so be forewarned, some bites can be chewy. These were a little saltier than the Acushnet batch but not overly so. My intention was to eat 6 cakes and bring the remaining 6 home. But they were so good I ate all 12. Yep, that was on top of the first 6, so I ate 18 clam cakes that day. I swear that Hugo's were so good I had no choice.
Today I found myself craving something fried and decided to try Evelyns Drive In in Little Compton, RI. Set on the Sakonnet river, not far from the Old Stone Bridge there is large dirt parking lot, plenty of picnic tables and an indoor dining room. A nice spot to sit awhile. I got my order quickly. So I assume they cook batches at a time and sit under the warmer, or I just had good timing. These were nice light inside and a little chewy, in a soft way. A very nice chewy. I didn't find any clams in them but these were not greasy and very good. The 6 were gone in a few minutes as I headed south on Main road, Route 77, an excellent scenic drive.
So...this is the tally, Hugo's is definitely number 1, The Seafood Hut is a close second and Evelyn's is a tight third. Even though I haven't tried Gen's Seafood's clam cakes in quite awhile I giving them a distant 4th. Some day I'll try one just to confirm my rating.
Flo's (Closed Hurricanes) on the beach in Portsmouth, RI will be tried next. They are a different class, more cakey.
So there you have it, the Great Clam Cake Search. If you have any suggestions drop me a line.
Tuesday, May 25, 2010
Summer Re-run Time
Well it's that time of year again. If you live on the Island you know what I'm talking about. Fog. And with the June fog comes, gasp!
The Lady In White!
If you have never heard the legend, read on.
As far as ghost stories about West Island go, this one is the oldest I know of, going back to the early 1970's.
The story is known as " The Woman in White" or "The Lady in White." I know of several people who were there the night she emerged from the waters at the West Island Town Beach.
She first appeared in the 1960's and usually appears around the beginning of June, mostly on foggy nights.
The largest group to witness her was in 1971 or 1972 when she appeared during a Fairhaven High Class party on the east side beach known as Crescent Beach. She walked down Crescent Beach from Monastery Rock, barely noticed at first. When she reached the small dirt road connecting the parking lot and and the beach some of the group began to see her, not giving much thought to her presence. What gave them concern was the fact that those who saw the sight said that she was visible if you didn't look directly at her, and if you turned towards her she vanished. As you turned away she would reappear, continuing on her pilgrimage.
Wearing all white, she was dressed in a flowing sort of robe. Supposedly she drowned, or WAS drowned at Crescent beach and would leave the scene of her demise (the sea), perhaps in search of her lover who committed the foul act. The appearances occur sometime in the first few days of June, right around sunset on a foggy night.
There is also the supposed Marsh Men who appear farther down towards Bass Creek in the marsh between Monastery Woods and the woods on the West side of the marsh. They travel back and forth between the two woods toiling away the night. It has never been known why they carry out their tasks or what they were carrying, if anything, and which way they were moving their goods, east to west or west to east, as no one was ever successful in sneaking up close enough. They can be seen on any random night in the summer as dimly glowing silhouettes when the fog rising up through the marsh grass cloaks their endless drudging, back and forth and if you get close enough, you can hear their feet sloshing through the mud.
http://home.comcast.net/~nokatay/westisland/Ghost_Stories.htm
The Lady In White!
If you have never heard the legend, read on.
As far as ghost stories about West Island go, this one is the oldest I know of, going back to the early 1970's.
The story is known as " The Woman in White" or "The Lady in White." I know of several people who were there the night she emerged from the waters at the West Island Town Beach.
She first appeared in the 1960's and usually appears around the beginning of June, mostly on foggy nights.
The largest group to witness her was in 1971 or 1972 when she appeared during a Fairhaven High Class party on the east side beach known as Crescent Beach. She walked down Crescent Beach from Monastery Rock, barely noticed at first. When she reached the small dirt road connecting the parking lot and and the beach some of the group began to see her, not giving much thought to her presence. What gave them concern was the fact that those who saw the sight said that she was visible if you didn't look directly at her, and if you turned towards her she vanished. As you turned away she would reappear, continuing on her pilgrimage.
Wearing all white, she was dressed in a flowing sort of robe. Supposedly she drowned, or WAS drowned at Crescent beach and would leave the scene of her demise (the sea), perhaps in search of her lover who committed the foul act. The appearances occur sometime in the first few days of June, right around sunset on a foggy night.
There is also the supposed Marsh Men who appear farther down towards Bass Creek in the marsh between Monastery Woods and the woods on the West side of the marsh. They travel back and forth between the two woods toiling away the night. It has never been known why they carry out their tasks or what they were carrying, if anything, and which way they were moving their goods, east to west or west to east, as no one was ever successful in sneaking up close enough. They can be seen on any random night in the summer as dimly glowing silhouettes when the fog rising up through the marsh grass cloaks their endless drudging, back and forth and if you get close enough, you can hear their feet sloshing through the mud.
http://home.comcast.net/~nokatay/westisland/Ghost_Stories.htm
Saturday, May 22, 2010
Blue Suede Signs
I guess this is sort of a rant. If you live in the town of Fairhaven you probably have noticed the new blue street signs. I'm color blind but I KNOW these signs are blue! Vivid blue I guess. Now I'm not complaining about the color, I think it's very visible. The thing that has my nuts torqued is WHY.
Maybe I'm missing something but the most important issues in town have been the budget and whether or not the middle school should mandate uniforms. The uniform issue seems to have the town divided. I've seen a mini van parked at Wood School with a big placard in the windshield declaring "no" on the issue. Personally I think it's a good idea.
"Sign, sign, everywhere a sign. Blocking out the scenery and breaking my mind. Do this, don't do that. Can't you read the signs?", Five Man Electric Band.
Actually I love signs. I developed an appreciation for them when I worked at Poyant's Sign, as a color blind sign painter, mind you. My problem is, why replace nearly every street sign in town when the money could have been spent more wisely elsewhere? I know the fabrication of these signs and the installation of them, some with new poles, isn't cheap. Was this some sort of Homeland Security grant? I suppose it would help terrorists find their way, so that doesn't make sense to me.I could understand replacing missing or damaged street signs with new ones, but if the new ones were blue and the old ones are green it would be kinda' ugly.
My other concern is that they have been installed too low. They can be reached by a reasonably tall person or a couple of drunken teens with one on the shoulder of the other. I know the latter method works for pilfering traffic signs from experience. I still have a vintage 25 MPH speed limit sign, the old kind with highly embossed raised letters. I once scored a 6 foot high, orange 'Construction Ahead' sign from the causeway when it was rebuilt about 1977. Keep in mind I was about 4'9" at the time, lugging it home and up to my room was almost as hard as trying to explain to my mother as to how I came about to posess such an item.
I predict that the sign announcing the beginning of Goulart Memorial drive and the accompanying 'West Island' sign will disappear before the Fall, if not by September. And no, I will not have any part of it's demise. They have been historically stolen as mementos of a Summer vacation here or by college students renting a house here. I do believe that at one time, many years ago the West Island sign had been removed by residents wishing to keep the Island a secret. "Sssshhhhh!"
Well that's my take on the new true blue signs. Maybe I'll find out if the town is selling the old green ones. I would like a 'Dogwood st' or a 'Nakata ave' sign. Buying one should be easier than trying to steal one.
Maybe I'm missing something but the most important issues in town have been the budget and whether or not the middle school should mandate uniforms. The uniform issue seems to have the town divided. I've seen a mini van parked at Wood School with a big placard in the windshield declaring "no" on the issue. Personally I think it's a good idea.
"Sign, sign, everywhere a sign. Blocking out the scenery and breaking my mind. Do this, don't do that. Can't you read the signs?", Five Man Electric Band.
Actually I love signs. I developed an appreciation for them when I worked at Poyant's Sign, as a color blind sign painter, mind you. My problem is, why replace nearly every street sign in town when the money could have been spent more wisely elsewhere? I know the fabrication of these signs and the installation of them, some with new poles, isn't cheap. Was this some sort of Homeland Security grant? I suppose it would help terrorists find their way, so that doesn't make sense to me.I could understand replacing missing or damaged street signs with new ones, but if the new ones were blue and the old ones are green it would be kinda' ugly.
My other concern is that they have been installed too low. They can be reached by a reasonably tall person or a couple of drunken teens with one on the shoulder of the other. I know the latter method works for pilfering traffic signs from experience. I still have a vintage 25 MPH speed limit sign, the old kind with highly embossed raised letters. I once scored a 6 foot high, orange 'Construction Ahead' sign from the causeway when it was rebuilt about 1977. Keep in mind I was about 4'9" at the time, lugging it home and up to my room was almost as hard as trying to explain to my mother as to how I came about to posess such an item.
I predict that the sign announcing the beginning of Goulart Memorial drive and the accompanying 'West Island' sign will disappear before the Fall, if not by September. And no, I will not have any part of it's demise. They have been historically stolen as mementos of a Summer vacation here or by college students renting a house here. I do believe that at one time, many years ago the West Island sign had been removed by residents wishing to keep the Island a secret. "Sssshhhhh!"
Well that's my take on the new true blue signs. Maybe I'll find out if the town is selling the old green ones. I would like a 'Dogwood st' or a 'Nakata ave' sign. Buying one should be easier than trying to steal one.
Monday, May 17, 2010
Bringing The Sebring To The Seaside
After a frustrating search I have found a car to love! A 1998 Chrysler Sebring convertible, white with tan leather seats, power drivers side of course, and tan top. The stereo is a factory installed Infinity am/fm/cassette/cd player, amplifier and 6 speakers. It cranks. Great for top down highway cruising. What wind noise? I like the outside temp indicator with digital compass and trip computer displaying instant and average miles per gallon fuel consumption.
Originally I set a budget of $1500 and soon realised it was much too low. So I upped it to 2 grand. It was still kind of iffy to the vehicles available for the money. Most needed small things, like an transmission or engine. Then I happened on a green Sebring convertible in Plymouth, MA. If the seller is in America's home time town must be trustworthy, right? Wrong. After showing up at the dealer to view the vehicle shown on his website I was informed that it was "being detailed". Ok, I can wait the 3 days. This time I called and was told the car would be back in 2 days. The next call I was told in a day and half. I decided to wait 2 days and when I called I was told it came in Friday night and was sold Saturday morning. So much for promises to call.
I have been driving through the back roads of Westport and Dartmouth, Swansea and Dighton, Marion and Buzzards Bay. Along the way I have been discovering road side art. I find them amazing pieces of Americana. For nearly 20 years I have had an idea for a magazine dedicated to the enjoyment of driving. I'd hoped to appeal to drivers of cars, motorcycles and trucks. Articles of a particular route traveled, say Routes 6 and 6A along Cape Cod were my target. Descriptions of sights along the way, areas to avoid and maybe a restaurant review too. I had an idea of a running topic of say, the best Hot Dogs or Quahogs found along the way. Originally I imagined a monthly distributed in a format such as the Neighborhood News. With the advancements in the web a webzine now makes more sense. My title for the publication was Mass Touring.
Now that I have a great vehicle for the 'research' and a new enough computer to make it a reality I just might. The Sebring fits the bill perfectly. She's a beauty. Only needs a swaying Hula Girl on the dash. I'd like to keep 'Ronald', the red Jeep and make it road worthy in time. But today the sun is shining and I hear the road calling. I don't have a destination but that doesn't matter when the top is down.
Wednesday, April 14, 2010
You Ain't Nothing But A Hound Dog/Jailhouse Rock
Let's see, how long is the statute of limitations good for? Well anyways, one of my favorite stories of adventure and bad decisions takes place in the summer of '77. I was 16 years old. I had spent a couple of weeks in Illinois at my sisters Carol’s house. My niece Sherry, who was also 16 drove a cranberry 1969 Mach 1 with a 390 cubic inch motor. The roads out there were pretty flat and straight compared to New England and we spent a few nights running that Mustang pretty hard down those roads along the corn fields.
When I got back home it was the same old dull summer days stuck without a car and it seemed there wasn't much to do here. I needed a new Carter Thermo Quad carb for my 1972 Dodge Challenger and lacked the cash to get it so I was pretty much Island bound. One night we all got some beers and I had a 6 pack of 16 oz Haffenraffer malt liquor. Everyone else had gone home around 11 o'clock and I was sitting there by myself on top of one of the boulders that were behind home base at the old ball field. Somewhere in the middle of the 5th beer I decided I was going back to Illinois, right then! Since my car was down I took my Dad's '63 Impala 4 door with the 6 cylinder. I left a note at my friend Stacey's house, it was cryptically written in crayon on a piece of a brown paper bag, that's all I could find in the Chevy. The note said that I was going to Illinois by myself Long with the note was 3 cigarettes. Her mother found the note in the morning and gave it to her.
So I was off with my dog Presley, no he wasn't a hound dog, part German Shepard and pit bull but he didn’t look like either. The gas tank was low so I filled it up at a station at the highway on ramp and since I spend my last bucks on the beer I drove off without paying. I only made it about 15 miles down the highway when some state troopers spooked me and thinking they were after me for stealing gas I started for the back roads. Only about 1200 miles to go! Well I soon got lost with it being dark, not knowing the area and me being drunk. I was going down a road when a stop sign appeared and I stopped kind of late and slid a little on some sand at the intersection. There happened to be a local police car going by and he yelled something simple to me.
Keep in mind this was shortly after me seeing Dirty Mary, Crazy Larry and Vanishing Point! Well that was all I needed and off I went! Where I was going wasn't clear but I wound that ole Chevy up and found out it only did 65 mph! What the hell? Damn that old boat didn't turn like my Dodge either. Talk about under steer and body roll! Presley could have told you about that as he was being thrown all around the car's interior. I soon realized through the malt liquor haze that there was no way I was going to out run these guys so I made some turns and suddenly ended up on a dead end road that was literally boxed in with chain link fence.
Nowhere to run to, baby
Nowhere to hide
Got nowhere to run to, baby
Nowhere to hide
by Martha and the Vandellas wasn’t playing on that old AM radio, but it should have been. I didn't try to run, I was feeling pretty stupid about then, or maybe it was fear. Fear mainly what my Dad was gonna do when he got ahold of me.
The cops got me out and made me lay on the trunk of the car while they searched me for weapons like a machine gun or a bazooka. They were also trying to figure what the hell I was trying to get away from. When I started spouting off how I would of got away if I had my Challenger and all they would of seen were taillights because the top end on that car...
Ow!!! Suddenly I found out those big black flashlights could shed light in more ways than one. Yes, I did see the light now. They were twinkling all over inside my head. The lump forming on the back of my noggin must have held a rear projection tv that was showing the opening credits from Star Wars because I could see alot of stars. As Ron "Tater Salad" White from Blue Collar Comedy say, "I had the right to remain silent, but I didn't have the means."
So away we all went to the Swansea police station for the night. One of the eagle-eyed cops noticed my leather belt had pot leaves tooled into it and it it didn't take long before he noticed my belt buckle was made from a pot pipe. In the morning I was arraigned and released to my parents, minus my belt buckle. Judge Stack, who was presiding over the bench in Taunton District court happened to live at the end of Cottonwood street. The one and same judge who’s front yard I had previously ripped up with my dirt bike one day. Talk about stupidity AND bad luck!
We were about half way home riding in thick silence and I blurted out "What about Presley?" My Mom asked "What do you mean?" I explained he was with me when I got arrested and he got arrested too, I guess, because when they took me to court in the morning he was in the next cell sitting on a bed of straw and looking pretty much ashamed for both of us. Well that ended the silence, let me tell you. They brought me home with STRICT instructions not to leave my room while they went to bail out Presley.
My bed was feeling pretty good at that time anyways, what with the hangover and the "life's lesson" throbbing on the back of my head. I managed to get out of the house a couple of days later, but had to be home by dark though! Quite a deal I thought from the original grounded for life. I got to tell the story to Stacey and my friends. Since I was about the only one with a dirt bike on the island I already had a reputation as being a little south of sane. Think about it, blood red Challenger, Hodaka Wombat (that's a 125 cc dirt bike, they had the stainless steel tanks), not the guy parents wanted their daughter hanging out with. Since I wasn’t allowed to leave the yard for a couple of days my friends thought I had made it to Illinois.
Myself, Presley and Luke Skywalker were talked about quite a bit among the kids that summer. The dog had a rep now, too. I don't know how my parents didn't make me sell the Challenger after pulling that stunt. I had to go to a defensive driver class for a few weeks and got the whole record sealed. My niece thought the whole thing was pretty funny and Stacey's Mom always looked at me real funny after.
This is a true story and I've told it many times over the years. There's a version where I did donuts around the police station flagpole to initiate the chase, but that never really happened. I think that version came after 5 more Haffenraffers one night.
Presley died in 1988 after becoming very well known and liked in the neighborhood and sharing many adventures with me. Another judge eventually opened my sealed court record, but that's another story for another day.
Peace.
When I got back home it was the same old dull summer days stuck without a car and it seemed there wasn't much to do here. I needed a new Carter Thermo Quad carb for my 1972 Dodge Challenger and lacked the cash to get it so I was pretty much Island bound. One night we all got some beers and I had a 6 pack of 16 oz Haffenraffer malt liquor. Everyone else had gone home around 11 o'clock and I was sitting there by myself on top of one of the boulders that were behind home base at the old ball field. Somewhere in the middle of the 5th beer I decided I was going back to Illinois, right then! Since my car was down I took my Dad's '63 Impala 4 door with the 6 cylinder. I left a note at my friend Stacey's house, it was cryptically written in crayon on a piece of a brown paper bag, that's all I could find in the Chevy. The note said that I was going to Illinois by myself Long with the note was 3 cigarettes. Her mother found the note in the morning and gave it to her.
So I was off with my dog Presley, no he wasn't a hound dog, part German Shepard and pit bull but he didn’t look like either. The gas tank was low so I filled it up at a station at the highway on ramp and since I spend my last bucks on the beer I drove off without paying. I only made it about 15 miles down the highway when some state troopers spooked me and thinking they were after me for stealing gas I started for the back roads. Only about 1200 miles to go! Well I soon got lost with it being dark, not knowing the area and me being drunk. I was going down a road when a stop sign appeared and I stopped kind of late and slid a little on some sand at the intersection. There happened to be a local police car going by and he yelled something simple to me.
Keep in mind this was shortly after me seeing Dirty Mary, Crazy Larry and Vanishing Point! Well that was all I needed and off I went! Where I was going wasn't clear but I wound that ole Chevy up and found out it only did 65 mph! What the hell? Damn that old boat didn't turn like my Dodge either. Talk about under steer and body roll! Presley could have told you about that as he was being thrown all around the car's interior. I soon realized through the malt liquor haze that there was no way I was going to out run these guys so I made some turns and suddenly ended up on a dead end road that was literally boxed in with chain link fence.
Nowhere to run to, baby
Nowhere to hide
Got nowhere to run to, baby
Nowhere to hide
by Martha and the Vandellas wasn’t playing on that old AM radio, but it should have been. I didn't try to run, I was feeling pretty stupid about then, or maybe it was fear. Fear mainly what my Dad was gonna do when he got ahold of me.
The cops got me out and made me lay on the trunk of the car while they searched me for weapons like a machine gun or a bazooka. They were also trying to figure what the hell I was trying to get away from. When I started spouting off how I would of got away if I had my Challenger and all they would of seen were taillights because the top end on that car...
Ow!!! Suddenly I found out those big black flashlights could shed light in more ways than one. Yes, I did see the light now. They were twinkling all over inside my head. The lump forming on the back of my noggin must have held a rear projection tv that was showing the opening credits from Star Wars because I could see alot of stars. As Ron "Tater Salad" White from Blue Collar Comedy say, "I had the right to remain silent, but I didn't have the means."
So away we all went to the Swansea police station for the night. One of the eagle-eyed cops noticed my leather belt had pot leaves tooled into it and it it didn't take long before he noticed my belt buckle was made from a pot pipe. In the morning I was arraigned and released to my parents, minus my belt buckle. Judge Stack, who was presiding over the bench in Taunton District court happened to live at the end of Cottonwood street. The one and same judge who’s front yard I had previously ripped up with my dirt bike one day. Talk about stupidity AND bad luck!
We were about half way home riding in thick silence and I blurted out "What about Presley?" My Mom asked "What do you mean?" I explained he was with me when I got arrested and he got arrested too, I guess, because when they took me to court in the morning he was in the next cell sitting on a bed of straw and looking pretty much ashamed for both of us. Well that ended the silence, let me tell you. They brought me home with STRICT instructions not to leave my room while they went to bail out Presley.
My bed was feeling pretty good at that time anyways, what with the hangover and the "life's lesson" throbbing on the back of my head. I managed to get out of the house a couple of days later, but had to be home by dark though! Quite a deal I thought from the original grounded for life. I got to tell the story to Stacey and my friends. Since I was about the only one with a dirt bike on the island I already had a reputation as being a little south of sane. Think about it, blood red Challenger, Hodaka Wombat (that's a 125 cc dirt bike, they had the stainless steel tanks), not the guy parents wanted their daughter hanging out with. Since I wasn’t allowed to leave the yard for a couple of days my friends thought I had made it to Illinois.
Myself, Presley and Luke Skywalker were talked about quite a bit among the kids that summer. The dog had a rep now, too. I don't know how my parents didn't make me sell the Challenger after pulling that stunt. I had to go to a defensive driver class for a few weeks and got the whole record sealed. My niece thought the whole thing was pretty funny and Stacey's Mom always looked at me real funny after.
This is a true story and I've told it many times over the years. There's a version where I did donuts around the police station flagpole to initiate the chase, but that never really happened. I think that version came after 5 more Haffenraffers one night.
Presley died in 1988 after becoming very well known and liked in the neighborhood and sharing many adventures with me. Another judge eventually opened my sealed court record, but that's another story for another day.
Peace.
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